Rice lifts interim tag on soccer coach Adams

Nicky Adams, who served as interim coach for the final 13 games, was officially named the Rice women’s soccer coach on Monday.

Rice University

Nicky Adams led the Owls to the best conference start in school history after replacing Chris Huston in mid-September.

“The (Rice administration) made it very clear that was definitely not a choice out of convenience and that I definitely had to earn it,” said Adams, who celebrated her birthday on Monday. “I was excited to hear that because I definitely put my heart and soul into every day for the past two months.”

Adams replaces former coach Chris Huston, who was dismissed in mid-September after leading the season for 10 years. Adams previously served eight years as an assistant at Rice.

Rice went 5-4-4 under Adams and advanced to the Conference USA tournament, where the Owls lost to SMU in the first round on penalty kicks.

“I was so grateful for the trust they had in me to believe in me to take them that far,” Adams said of her team. “They played with so much heart and pride for the past two months. It was so unbelievable to be around.”